


Feather-light

by LilAnnieSunshine



Series: SasuSaku Month 2020 [10]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Friends to Enemies, Introspection, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:33:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25212484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilAnnieSunshine/pseuds/LilAnnieSunshine
Summary: It dawns on Sasuke that he's never been gentle with her. Except for once.He's tried to kill her. Twice. Even when he saved her, he had to be rough out of necessity.He's going to change that.Written for SasuSaku month day 11 "Feathers"
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke
Series: SasuSaku Month 2020 [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1812370
Comments: 2
Kudos: 65





	Feather-light

He was never gentle with her. At least, not as gentle as he should’ve been.

The very first training exercise they do, he shoves her off of him when she tries to hug him.

She’s far to gentle with him, from her tone, to her feather-light touches. He’d almost think she was too soft to be a ninja, if he didn’t see her pummel Naruto every other day.

She usually touches him first. He never initiates contact, unless he has to. Today he _really_ has to.

He scoops her up with bruising force, keeping them both from being killed in the Forest of Death. He has a kunai in the leg, so she can deal with the wind being knocked out of her as she’s carried to safety. She speaks and he clamps a hand over her mouth. She needs to be quiet.

A few minutes later, the fight of his life ends in him getting bitten by Orochimaru. She comes to his aid. He holds her hand. Hard. He squeezes it like his life depends on it, and maybe it does. That’s all he can think of as he blacks out.

He slaps her hand down when she tries to tell the proctors about the curse mark. He meets her concern with biting words, squeezing her small wrist tightly, warning her he won’t let her get in his way.

He catches her after Naruto’s fight with Gaara, saving her from falling to the ground. It’s not gentle, it can’t be, she’s falling so fast and she’s so heavy. He does his best to minimize harm, but it’s still a far way to fall. He sets her head down as gently as possible on a hard tree branch, and leaves her to Pakkun.

He slaps the apples out of her hands. She’s doting on him too much. He shouldn’t be in a hospital bed, he should be out getting stronger. He challenges Naruto, leaving her hurt and in shock.

The next time he touches her, he knocks her out. He watches the light leave her eyes as he scoops her up and puts her on cold, hard park bench. He thanked her before he left, but not before he made some cruel comments first.

He almost touches her next time they meet. He was content not to. He was just planning on hurting Naruto and the two extras that were sent on the mission, but she just had to step in. A look of shock passes his face he sees her gearing up to punch him with a fist full of chakra. He’s different now, the kid gloves are off. If _Sakura_ wants to play, they’re going to going to play. He draws his sword. One of the extras steps in to stop him.

The next thing he knows Orochimaru is calling him away from the fight. He’s happy he doesn’t have to hurt her, not that he’ll even admit that to himself.

She’s lying. He knows she’s lying when she says she wants to join him. It’s a dirty trick, and he sees through it. He’s honest about his intentions to destroy the Leaf Village, why can’t she be honest with her intentions to destroy him? They could’ve had a fair fight. She tries to stab him in his back. He tries to chidori her in hers. Kakashi stops him. The girl lives.

She won’t be alive for long, he tells himself after she returns to the battlefield. She tires to stab him again. He grabs her by the throat, watching the light fading from her eyes like he did the night he left her in the village. He grabs the kunai from her hands. Naruto steps in. The girl lives again.

It’s a good thing the girl is alive. She got him out of another dimension. She falls against him in exhaustion. He puts one hand on her shoulder and breaks her fall. His grip on her is tight, he’s the only thing holding her up. Her exhausted eyes peer up at him, not sure if he’s real or if she’s so delirious she hallucinated him. He stares back. He’s not sure if he’s ever witnessed anything more beautiful than her efforts to bring him back, maybe her super strength?

_“Thanks to you I made it.”_

_“You’re so damn annoying.”_

It’s the last thing he says before he puts her under a genjustsu. The illusion of him strikes her through the chest. She’s falls down. Physically she’s fine, but emotionally… he won’t think about it. Her words got him to hesitate, he can’t hesitate again. He has goals to accomplish. Kakashi chews him out for his cruelness. He left her alive didn’t he?

He’s a free man. The first thing he does with his freedom is go on a quest to atone for his sins. She meets him at the gate to say goodbye. She asks to go with him. He pokes her on the forehead. It’s gentle, it’s intimate, but it’s not necessarily romantic. Maybe he would’ve done more if Kakashi wasn’t looking.

_“Maybe next time.”_

He returns to the village and falls right into her. She’s the first person he wans to see. The first person he wants to touch. The first person he wants to talk to.

“I’m home, Sakura.” He says in the doorway of her apartment.

“Welcome back, Sasuke.” She responds.

He’s about to pull her in for a kiss. He’s thought about it so many times while he was away, just reaching out for her, pulling her into him and crashing their lips together. It doesn’t seem right. It’s too…rough.

It dawns on him he’s been gentle with her exactly once in his life, not his version of gentle, but _real_ gentle.

“Sakura,” He starts. “Come here.”

She does what he says, looking up at him expectantly through thick lashes.

He starts by poking her forehead again. She looks disappointed. He trails his fingers down to touch her hair, he gently twirls it between his fingers. He cups her face and strokes her cheek with his thumb. His touch is feather-light. He does it a few times before running his thumb over her plush lips.

She parts her lips slightly and nips his thumb.

His eyes go wide. If she keeps this up, he’s not going to be able to be _gentle_ much longer.

He leans down and brings his lips to hers. He kisses her softly. She moans into the kiss and his eyes go wide again.

He breaks off the kiss and trails his fingers down her neck, tracing her collarbones with a finger.

He wants her. He wants _all_ of her, but he’s not sure how much longer he can keep being gentle if he takes her.

“What’s wrong?” She says sweetly, noticing his hesitation.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” He admits. He’s hurt her so much, he can’t bear to see her in pain again, even if it’s just for a moment in time.

She doesn’t scoff. She doesn’t remind him that she can level the very building they’re standing in, let the rubble fall onto her, and heal herself until she’s unscathed. She knows he’s sincerely worried. She knows he’s _sorry._ “I’m not going to break.” She reminds him.

“I know.” He whispers back. She’s incredible. It would take a lot more than him to break her, frankly, he doesn’t think anything can.

“So you don’t need to touch me like you will.”

He nods. “Then show me how you want me to touch you.”

Sakura blushes. He’s so _sincere,_ there’s not a single innuendo or joke behind his words, he genuinely wants to know how to touch her. “Alright.” She agrees, and leads him to the bedroom.

Her touch is as feather-light as his was before.


End file.
